Consequences of an Interventionist Foreign Policy

The attack on the US consulate in Libya and the killing of the US Ambassador
and several aides is another tragic example of how our interventionist foreign
policy undermines our national security. The more the US tries to control the
rest of the world, either by democracy promotion, aid to foreign governments,
or by bombs, the more events spin out of control into chaos, unintended consequences,
and blowback.

Unfortunately, what we saw in Libya last week is nothing new.

In 1980s Afghanistan, the US supported Islamic radicals in their efforts to
expel the invading Soviet military. These radicals became what is known to
be al-Qaeda, and our one-times allies turned on us most spectacularly on September
11, 2001.

Iraq did not have a significant al Qaeda presence before the 2003 US invasion,
but our occupation of that country and attempt to remake it in our image caused
a massive reaction that opened the door to al Qaeda, leading to thousands of
US soldiers dead, a country destroyed, and instability that shows no sign of
diminishing.

In Libya we worked with, among others, the rebel Libyan Fighting Group
(LIFG) which included foreign elements of al-Qaeda. It has been pointed
out that the al-Qaeda affiliated radicals we fought in Iraq were some of
the same groups we worked with to overthrow Gaddafi in Libya. Last year in
a television interview I predicted that the result of NATO's bombing of Libya
would likely be an increased al-Qaeda presence in the country. I said at
the time that we may be delivering al-Qaeda another prize.

Not long after NATO overthrew Gaddafi, the al Qaeda flag was flown over the
courthouse in Benghazi. Should we be surprised, then, that less than a year
later there would be an attack on our consulate in Benghazi? We have been told
for at least the past eleven years that these people are the enemy who seeks
to do us harm.

There is danger in the belief we can remake the world by bribing some countries
and bombing others. But that is precisely what the interventionists - be they
liberal or conservative - seem to believe. When the world does not conform
to their image, they seem genuinely shocked. The secretary of state's reaction
to the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi was one of confusion. "How could
this happen in a country we helped liberate, in a city we helped save from
destruction," she asked.

The problem is that we do not know and we cannot know enough about these societies
we are seeking to remake. We never try to see through the eyes of those we
seek to liberate. Libya is in utter chaos, the infrastructure has been bombed
to rubble, the economy has ceased to exist, gangs and militias rule by brutal
force, the government is seen as a completely illegitimate and powerless US
puppet. How could anyone be shocked that the Libyans do not see our bombing
their country as saving it from destruction?

Currently, the US is actively supporting rebels in Syria that even our CIA
tells us are affiliated with al Qaeda. Many of these radical Islamist fighters
in Syria were not long ago fighting in Libya. We must learn from these mistakes
and immediately cease all support for the Syrian rebels, lest history once
again repeat itself. We are literally backing the same people in Syria that
we are fighting in Afghanistan and that have just killed our ambassador in
Libya! We must finally abandon the interventionist impulse before it is too
late.

Congressman Ron Paul of Texas enjoys a national reputation as the premier
advocate for liberty in politics today. Dr. Paul is the leading spokesman
in Washington for limited constitutional government, low taxes, free markets,
and a return to sound monetary policies based on commodity-backed currency.
He is known among both his colleagues in Congress and his constituents for
his consistent voting record in the House of Representatives: Dr. Paul never
votes for legislation unless the proposed measure is expressly authorized
by the Constitution. In the words of former Treasury Secretary William Simon,
Dr. Paul is the "one exception to the Gang of 535" on Capitol Hill.